Stocking your freezer with these foods is a convenient way to save yourself time and money!
Why Should I Stock My Freezer?
It saves money! You can buy in bulk and then freeze what you won’t use right away.
It’s convenient! Having a stocked freezer can help you avoid unnecessary trips to the grocery store.
It saves time! Cook things ahead of time and then freeze them for a quick meal or snack later.
It’s fresh and delicious! Freeze your favorite fruits and veggies when they’re in season, so you can enjoy the delicious bounty of summer any time of the year!
So, Let’s get started <3
1. Cheese
- You can freeze cheese in whole blocks! Just thaw it completely on the counter before putting it back in the fridge. You can also freeze shredded cheese and put a tablespoon of cornstarch or flour in the bag to prevent clumping when it thaws.
- If you love fresh parmigiano reggiano, buy a big block and grate in a food processor. Store it in your freezer in a freezer bag, and it will keep for months. Just scoop out a couple of tablespoons as you need it!
2. Homemade Pancakes, Waffles, French Toast
Make extra pancakes, waffles, or french toast during your weekend breakfasts and freeze them for quick and easy breakfasts during the week to come. Place your pancakes (or waffles, or french toasts) on a cookie sheet, then transfer them to a freezer bag. Reheat them in your microwave, toaster, or toaster oven.
3. Veggies & Herbs
Dice onions, chiles, or bell peppers, then freeze them flat in gallon-size freezer bags. As they are freezing, press “score lines” into the bags using a chopstick so you can break off as much or as little as you need for your recipes.
You can freeze ears of corn whole, then use your microwave cooking method to cook it (see the link below for details). Cook a bit longer for frozen corn, or let it defrost before cooking. You can also cut the corn off the cob and freeze it that way.
Roast roma tomatoes in the oven at a low temperature (225 degrees or so) with garlic, fresh herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil for 4 to 5 hours. When cooled, transfer the tomatoes to freezer bags. Use them in chili or or to make tomato sauces.
Freeze fresh herbs in ice cube trays with a little water or leftover stock. Use the frozen herb cubes in soups, stews, or casseroles later in the year.
To freeze leafy greens like spinach, blend it up in your blender with a little bit of water and then freeze in ice cube trays. Drop a couple of cubes in your blender with frozen fruit for easy green smoothies!
Keep a gallon-size bag in the freezer to store leftover veggie pieces, including peels, stalks, ends, etc. When you’ve filled the bag, use the veggies pieces to make vegetable stock. Keep another bag for pan drippings or sauces that are left after cooking meat, which you can use to add flavor to soups.
4. Fruit
When freezing fruit, it’s a good idea to freeze them on a lined cookie sheet first, and then transfer them to a freezer bag. Freezing them on a cookie sheet first makes it so the fruit won’t stick together, which makes it easier to pull out a small amount at a time as needed.
One of my very favorite chilly treats is a handful of frozen grapes! Give it a try sometime and let me know what you think! 🙂
You can freeze bananas whole and use them later to make banana bread. If you have bananas that are starting to get too brown, just toss them into the freezer with the skin on. Then when you’re ready to use them, pull them out, microwave for a few seconds, then squeeze the insides into your mixing bowl.
Keep a “Smoothie Bag” in the freezer. Toss in extra apple wedges, peaches, pears, bananas, chunks of melon, or any kind of fruit. When the bag gets full, dump it in the blender and make a smoothie!
5. Potato Chips, Crackers, & Pretzels
Stock up on chips, crackers and pretzels when they are on sale and throw them in the freezer. Personally, I think frozen chips actually taste better! When eaten straight from the freezer, they are crisper and the flavors really pop!
6. Eggs
Who would have thought you could freeze raw eggs? Just crack the eggs into a freezer bag, and freeze flat. Or crack your eggs into an ice cube tray (yolks and whites separately, to make it easier) to use for cakes and cookies. Just let your eggs thaw in the refrigerator, and use as you normally would.
7. Yogurt
Freezing yogurt is easy, and it makes a delicious and healthy frozen treat. I like to stick a popsicle stick right through the lid of the yogurt, then place the yogurt cup in the freezer. Then I just pop the frozen yogurt out of the container later when I need a frozen treat! (Or you could just defrost them in the fridge if you want non-frozen yogurt.) 🙂
8. Breakfast or Lunch Sandwiches
When you pack lunches for school or work, it’s a real time-saver to pull a sandwich straight from the freezer. Just throw it into your lunch box/bag in the morning, and it’ll be thawed by lunch time. It also helps keep the meat cold. PB&J, or deli meat and a slice of cheese work well. If you’re adding condiments or veggies, pack those separately to add when lunchtime rolls around.
You can also freeze breakfast sandwiches! Cook scrambled eggs and sausage/bacon in bulk, pile them onto biscuits or english muffins, wrap them individually and then freeze, Grab one out of the freezer in the morning, then microwave and enjoy. You can do breakfast burritos or quesadillas as well!
9. Soups and Chili
Cool leftover soup completely and transfer to a freezer-friendly container, leaving about 1 cup worth of empty space to allow for expansion while it freezes. The day before you want to eat it again, move the frozen soup or chili to the fridge to thaw safely. Then just reheat and serve!
For perfectly portioned soups, pour your favorite homemade soup into paper cups and place them in the freezer. Once the soup is frozen, peel away the paper cup. Now you’ll have “canned” soup at the ready anytime!
10. Doughs
You can freeze all kinds of homemade dough – cookie dough, pizza dough, focaccia dough, pie crust, etc.
For things like pizza, pie, or bread dough, shape it into a ball and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap.
For cookie dough, scoop it out onto cookie sheets and freeze. When they are frozen solid, put them in freezer bags. When a cookie craving hits, bake as few or as many as you want! Just add 1 to 2 minutes to the cook time specified in your recipe. You can also make “slice-and-bake” cookie dough by shaping it into a cylinder, and freezing it in foil.
Freeze canned biscuits, crescent rolls, pizza dough, etc. right in the tube. Stock up when they are on sale!
11. Mashed Potatoes
Using an ice cream scoop, place even portions of mashed potatoes onto parchment-lined cookie sheet. Freeze until hard, then transfer the potatoes to a freezer bag. These will keep in the freezer for at least 2 months.
